Training aids for sports requiring hand-eye coordination are known in the prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 5,711,725, Bengtson, issued Jan. 27, 1998 relates to a practice baseball or softball having contrasting colors. Approximately one half of the outer surface of the ball is a dark color and the other half of the ball is white to make the ball more difficult to see than a standard ball. When used for practice, the ball requires players to concentrate intensely in order to hit or field the ball successfully because of the difficulty in seeing it clearly. During games when a light colored ball is used, it is much more visible and players are able to hit and field it better since they are used to practicing with a two colored practice ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,152, Strassburger, issued Mar. 4, 1997 similarly a baseball batter training aid which includes a plurality of baseballs each having different colored indicia on the outer surface. The baseball batter is required to recognize and identify the color of the indicia after the baseball is pitched, causing the batter to focus on the ball as it is delivered by the pitcher toward the hitting zone.
Other baseball training aids employing balls having surface markings are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,925,273, Pratt, issued Feb. 16, 1960 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,838, Groves, issued Feb. 12, 1991.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,170,352, Vcala, issued Oct. 9, 1979, relates to a visual aid practice tennis ball. The ball has panels colored of contrasting colors for indicating the spin or rotation of the ball while in flight. This enables players and coaches to more easily discern the spin imparted to the ball to facilitate learning of delivery and receiving manoeuvers.
Surface markings are also know on other of types of sporting balls including croquet (U.S. Pat. No. 280,807 dated Jul. 10, 1883); golf (U.S. Pat. No. 676,506 dated Jun. 18,1901); soccer (U.S. Design Pat. Des. No. 263,491 dated Mar. 23, 1982); and beach volleyball (U.S. Design Pat. No. 421,470 dated Mar. 7, 2000).
Practice hockey pucks are known in the prior art for improving passing and shooting skills as well as goaltending skills. International application No. WO 93/20910, Bigornia et al., published Oct. 28, 1993 describes a hockey puck having a hollow body that may be filled with removable material to change the puck's weight for practice purposes. Additionally, a number of linear markings may be applied to the surfaces and edges of the puck to allow the user to monitor and analyze the spin of the puck. The optical guidelines can be used to compare and contrast different types of shots, such as wristshots, slapshots, backhands and snap-shots
U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,820, Keating et al., issued Feb. 9, 1993 relates to a hockey puck which, in one embodiment, may include a ring or band of material of a color differing from the remainder of the puck about the periphery of the puck. The band may include a pigment added to it to give it a fluorescent color, such as orange or green. The band is intended to provide a higher visibility of the puck, for both the players and fans. Keating et al. contemplates that the primary color of the puck will be regulation black.
The prior art does not, however, teach the desirability of using hockey pucks having a light colored background (and which are therefore more difficult to see against a white ice surface). The need has therefore arisen for modified hockey pucks adapted for improving the hand-eye coordination and concentration of both skaters and goaltenders.